Fallout: On Air
by PsychBoi
Summary: Follow the story of two wanderers, making a long hard trek across what used to be Minnesota, towards the town of Duluth, and a mostly intact radio broadcasting station, to bring music and cheer into the cold, quiet, near-inhospitable post-apocalyptic midwestern America.
1. Chapter 1

Hop and I stare across a simple concrete bridge covered in snow at the town of Bemidji. To our left and our right are two large lakes, we're on a sort of land bridge in-between. Only the snowy rooftops of a few brick buildings can be seen from here, as well as some chimney smoke, the rest is blocked by trees. In the middle of the bridge, on the other side, A man stands tall. I turn to Hop, "Do ya reckon he's a guard?" Hop turns to me, "Oh ya, they're usin' the remnants of downtown as a settlement, I've heard." Hop's voice is rough, but soothing in a way, "Alrighty, let's not dilly-dally." We start to move across the bridge, the man keeps an eye on us, and the closer we get, the more I can make out of him, and the buildings in the distance. The man has silver hair, and is wearing a thick green canvas coat. In his hands is a hunting shotgun. He eyes us tiredly, "Excuse me dere!" Calls the guard. We stop, and I respond, "Ya!?" the man uses his hands to amplify his voice "Sorry about stoppin' ya so far, can't be too safe here, so close to the line!" "That's ok!" I shout in reply, "What'd be yer business here?" Asks the man, "We're lookin' fer a library! We heard... well, my friend here heard about it!" He nods, "And what'r yer names?!" "I go by Hopdi!" Shouts Hop, "An' I'm Malvin!" I say. The man swings the shotgun on his back, "Okee, come on in fellas! Welcome to Bemidji!" We mosey down the street, and I shake hands with the guard, "It's a pleasure, fellas, we don't get too many new visitors here! I'm Henry." I nod and grin, "Nice ta meetcha too!" He then turns to Hop, "We don't get many ghouls 'round here, either! Nice ta meetcha ya, too!" He shakes hands with Hop. "I assume you two are headed to the Carnegie Library, ya?" I nod, "Oh ya." The man points down the street, "Well, just down the road, past the visitor center. Oh, and before I forget, you should check out Mia's market, a block west of the library. She always gives me heck if I don't refer newcomers to her store." I nod, "Sounds good." Hop shifts his weight to the left, "Hey, do ya know any good places fer a drink? A beer'd change things fer the better." Henry nods, "Ya, just across from Mia's, actually. Called I think 'The Lumberjack's Lager,' real nice place." Hop nods in thanks, "Well we'd better get goin' then." I say, "Oh, ya, probably shouldn't keep ya too long now. One quick question though, what are ya lookin' for? Most a' the books in dere are fallin' apart." I smile, "Well, we're actually lookin' fer records, music records. I've got a plan ta start up an old radio station and play music fer the whole midwest! There's a place I've seen over in Duluth, it's almost in perfect condition, just need some music to play there, and my friend Hop remembered this place before the war." Henry smiles with delight, "Finally, we'll have a use fer those darned radios! Well, good luck to you fellas!" We nod, and start walking down the street, "Nice ta meetcha Henry!" We wave goodbye as we continue down the street.

After a few moments we reach the edge of downtown, the buildings are a little shoddy, but people are still usin' 'em. There are signs made of wood for a buncha different stores. The main few blocks are on our right, to our left is the shore of Lake Bemidji. Through a few dead trees down the road, we can spot two odd lookin' statues, "Haha! They _are_ still here!" Exclaims Hop, running towards the statues. I follow him, and we stop at a green-roofed building and the two statues, one of a huge blue bull, and one of a tall, tall man, dressed like a lumberjack. They're a bit faded, and look a little rickety, like the rest of the town. Hop smiles and admires the statues, "So... who was he?" I ask. Hop turns to me, "Oh, right. This here is Paul Bunyon-" He points to the lumberjack, "-the stories say he was about that tall, and he'd help out all the other lumberjacks by chopping an entire acre of trees in one swing!" I grin, "That's sure malarkey!" Hop shrugs, "It's just a tall tale my Ma told me when I was little." I take in the statues, "Ya." I say simply. We continue our walk down the street, waving hello to a few trappers and settlers as we pass by. The streets are a little barren, only a few people out and about. Must be because of the weather. I turn to Hop, "Glad it's not _too_ cold out!" Hop smiles "Ha, ya." In but a few short moments, we reach a small, lonely brick building on the left with a faded sign above the door saying "Carnegie Library," I eye the building. Not two blocks from the library is the edge of downtown Bemidji, quite a small place. "Okee, let's grab some music, then head on over to that Mia gal's shop." Hop looks at me expectantly, "And the bar after that?" I smile, "You betcha!" We step inside the building. To the left of the door is an abandoned checkout desk, "Hello?" I call out. No response. The building has a main part to the right with all the bookshelves, taking up two levels, and the miscellaneous section is across from the door. We walk across the thin red carpet, our boots making soft thuds with each step. It's very quiet in here, although I suppose not every building here is populated, there's probably only around forty to fifty people out there, maybe half of which are traveling trappers. The miscellaneous section has five shelves, three of which are comics, one is toys, and the other is records. I walk over to the records and kneel down. I take off my big camping pack and open it up. I then start taking records and checking to see if they're usable. Most of them are folk singers, Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson, the like. A few at the top are some real popular ones, Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby. Sure enough, they're in pretty good condition. Surprisingly the bombs didn't damage a lot of the northern midwest, probably because there weren't many things to damage. "Heh, lookie what I found, Mal." Says Hop mischievously, I lean over and peek my head out to see Hop grinning and holding up two copies of "Live and Love". I smile back, "Toss one my way, ya?" He throws one over, and I tuck it into my pack, along with all the good records, only twelve. For fun, I examine The toy shelf, and take an eyebot model kit. "What's that fer?" Asks Hop, "Oh, just gatherin' little trinkets fer decoration." "Interesting." He replies, I stand and slip my bag on my back, "That's that then! Let's head on over to that shop, a block..." "West a' here." Hop finishes. "Ya."

We walk back outside and head straight across the street. A small brick building on the corner has a sign with big green letters "Mia's Trading Post". Most of downtown is used for living. Across from Mia's is the bar, and from the looks of it, they've got bedrooms for rent. A group of fur trappers exit Mia's and go directly across the street. We walk up to the shoddy wood door and push it open. Inside are metal shelves full of a whole slew of stuff. "Hi dere! If ya need ta find somethin' just ask!" I smile and wave, "Thank ya." Hop walks over to a shelf full of weapons. I scan a few shelves, some have electronic parts, some have cups and forks and bowls, some have just junk. I find a few shelves of food, some grown and some prewar. I grab two tins of Cram. Let's see... I think that's all we need. I walk over to Hop, "Hey dere, whatcha lookin' at?" He turns around holding a frag grenade and smiles, "I love explosives!" He says. I chuckle, "Alrighty then. Did they have any mentats?" Hop shakes his head, "Nadda." We walk on over to the counter, "Hey dere fellas! Say, I don't think I've seen yer face around here, are ya new?" I nod, "Oh ya, we're newcomers-" Hop cuts in, "Just passin' through." He says. She nods, "Well welcome to Bemidji! Feel free to come back anytime, my store is always open... hey, did Henry at tha bridge refer ya here?" I smile and nod, "Ya, real nice guy." She nods, "Oh ya, I've gotta thank him later! So, what's your deal, you two trappers?" I shake my head, and Hop answers, "No ma'am, just a few travelers." Ah ha! "Oh, one sec, do ya have any fusion batteries?" I ask Mia. She purses her lips in thought, "Ahh, ya actually, check by the far wall, top shelf." I nod, "Thanks!" "Oh no problem!" She replies. I walk on over to the shelf and start looking, oh shoot! Water too! As I search I listen in, "So, what's yer friend need with a fusion battery?" Asks Mia, "Well, we're headed to Duluth to try and start up an old radio station, we came here for some records from the library." Answers Hop, "Ah, ya! That'd be nice to have a radio station out here! Well good luck to ya fellas!" I find a battery, and on the way back I grab four bottles of water. "Find one?" Asks Hop. I hold it up and put it on the table, "Oh ya." I say. We pay fifty-six caps, and pocket our stuff, "So, how come you wanta start a radio station?" Asks Mia, "Well, ya see I don't much wander, I just ain't built for that life, although do like brightening people's day, and I thought, 'well music sure keeps people's spirits up,' so Hop and I searched the Twin Cities and Duluth, and well the station that was in the best condition was in Duluth, so now we're gathering music and components so we can get it up and running, and actually have music to play." Mia nods, "Well you'd best be careful, the glowin' forest sets between you and Duluth." I smile, "Don't worry, we're pretty tough! We survived the Twin Cities, dontcha know!" We start walking to the door, "Well you two have a nice trip now!" We wave goodbye, "Seeya!" And with that, we leave to the street. "Well, I suppose one beer couldn't hurt," I say. Hop nods, "Oh ya, one or three." I smile, and we walk on over to the bar. Inside a few rough-looking trappers sit around tables, sharing stories and laughin' real loud. The bar is in the middle, we walk over and take a seat, "Hello fellas, what can I get ya?" Hop smiles, "A beer, please." I shift in my seat, "Got any pop?" The bartender nod, "Oh ya, comin' right up!" He says warmly. I turn to Hop, "So, how do ya suppose we get around tha glowin' forest? Going up'll be the safer path." I say, Hop shakes his head, "That'd add two days to an already four and a half day trip. The faster way is round the south side." I nod, "Ya, that's true, but that brings us real close to the line." Hop shrugs, "I'd rather get shot than starve or freeze. An' ya said it yourself, we're pretty tough." The bartender sets down a beer and Nuka-Cola. I turn to him, "Thanks, sir." He nods, "Oh ya." He then turns and walks over to a table of trappers, "So... ya know... ya. Let's go 'round the south side." We simultaneously chug our drinks down. I throw down eight caps and we head back out into the cold.


	2. Chapter 2

We take the same way back out, passing by the Paul Bunyon statue again. We wave goodbye to Henry and head off across the bridge. There are a few abandoned houses on the land bridge between Lake Bemidji and Lake Irving. The land before us is all flat snowfields, with trees upon the horizon. We head east-south-east as soon as we cross the land bridge, and trudge our way through the deep snow. Silently we travel, climbing over wire fences and keeping an eye out for any critters. After twelve minutes of traveling in the snow, we spot a little white farmhouse about a mile away. Next to it is a barn, with the door slightly ajar. A yellowish light pours out of that opening, "Say, why'd ya think there's a light there?" I ask Hop, "Well, maybe it's an electric light... hmm." We slow our pace a bit as we get slowly closer to the barn, "Ya think someone's there, or was there?" Hop just shrugs, "Ah, probably just some trappers camping out." We speed up again, "Ya, probably." I reply. We get close enough to make out more details, and we see a red stain in the snow in front of the barn door. We again slow to a cautious walk. I turn to Hop, "That don't look to good dere." I say quietly, "Butchering an animal maybe?" suggests Hop. I shake my head, "They'd do that _in_ side, right?" Hop slips his rifle off his back, holding it low as we approach the door. We reach the scene, and see a trail of blood leading to the crack in the door. I peek my head in to see a dead feral wolf, and a blood trail leading to... A man slumped in the corner! He's wearing a dark leather overcoat. I run in, "Oh Jeez. Hey! You ok?" I ask the figure. No response. Hop follows me in, "Check his pulse dere." I walk up to him and feel his neck. Sure enough, a slow pulse. I take off my pack and search for a stim. I stick the needle into his leg and inject the serum, throwing the empty stimpak in the snow. A minute passes, and the man stirs, "Huhg, ghaho rree ewe?" I grab his shoulder and shake him, "What was that?" I ask, "Whell, thank you, stranger." His voice is very little, "Oh ya, don't mention it," I turn to Hop, "We should take him to Bemidji." I say. Hop nods, and he walks to the other side of the man. "Ok dere, on the count a' three we're gonna lift, and you gotta push." The man nods, "Thank you, stranger." He says again. "One, two, three." We pull the man up to his feet, his arms over our shoulders, and we slowly make our way back to Bemidji. The sun is high overhead by the time we reach town. Henry sees us, and runs on over, "Oh no, what happened here?" He asks, "Got attacked by a wolf, just out of nowhere." Says the man tiredly, "Well, Doc. Logan can getcha patched up, let's go." Henry takes Hop's place, "You two go on ahead, I'll make sure this fella get's help." I nod, "Okee." The man turns his head, "I can't thank you enough!" I wave goodbye, and we again set back out, "Wow, what a start to the trip huh?" Hop nods, "Ya... that fella was almost toast... wonder why he was out all alone." I shrug, "Well, ya know, some people don't have good friends... thankfully I'm not one a' them!" Hop smiles, "Don't go all soft on me now." He says.

We eventually reach the barn again. From there we continue on. The only sound we hear is the snow crunching under our feet. It's lonely out here, even if you're with someone else. The forest on the horizon is still only a small dark line. "Hey Hop." I say, "Ya?" "Well, ah... what else did that Paul Bunyon fella do?" Hop smiles, "Ha. Well, let's see... I think the story goes: one day, somewhere along the east coast, a baby washes up on shore, a baby the size of a car! The townspeople noticed him nearby, and they all raised him together. He'd eat pancakes the size a' manhole covers, and he'd sleep in a hay field, I think is how it goes. Oh! He also met a blue bull, named babe, and they became best friends. Well, as he was growin' up, he had this dream a' becomin' a lumberjack, so one day, when he was old enough, the townspeople made him his own ax, a huge ax, as a parting gift. So then he headed out west, with babe at his side, and he would help the Lumberjacks carry big ole logs to the rivers, and he'd cut down a whole buncha trees with one swing of his ax!" I interrupt, "An entire acre you says." Hop nods, "Ya, ya! Man, it really has been a long time since then..." Hop pulls a box of mentats from his coat pocket and takes two tablets, then puts it back. "Hop." I say seriously, "Ya?" I look at him, "What happens if ya run outta those?" I ask. His face darkens, "I hope we never find out." He replies. We then walk in silence.

We reach the edge of the forest as the sun hits the horizon. The tall dark trunks create a sort of foreboding wall. We stop, "Let's set up camp here." I say, "Not in the forest?" Hop asks, "I prefer not campin' in the forest, less I have to." Hop nods, "Oh ya, that's right. I'll gather some wood. Clear a spot in the snow, will ya?" I nod, "Okee." I say. Hop heads off towards the forest. I get on my knees and bend down, using my hands to dig a decent sized hole in the snow. Afterward, I scan the area and wait for Hop. I take off my pack, and notice a sound. A sort've... mechanical whirring. It's soft, and it's coming from the south. I look all around, and notice something against the twilight sky, a black dot. I just stare at it, "What's that?" Asks Hop, startling me, "Geez! Ya scared the crap outta me!" Hop smiles, "Sorry!" He says, setting down the logs in the hole I dug, "I don't quite know what that is." I say, still staring at it. The whirring gets louder and louder, and the dot starts to grow. Then, after a few minutes, it stops, and start to shrink again. "Huh, maybe it was a vertibird?" Says Hop, I turn to him, he's setting up the fire. I take out my firestarter kit, "A what?" I ask, "Vertibird, it was a pre-war flyin' machine. Though I don't think anyone here is smart enough ta get one workin' again." I put some tinder in the fire, and light it up. It starts up smoothly, "Gee, I dun- wait! What about those fellas in the fancy armor down in the Twin Cities?" Hop lets out a "Hmm," As he warms his hands by the fire, "Don't think I... ah wait! Ya, maybe those fellas." I nod, "Ya." I dig through my bag, "So, ya want Cram, or Instamash?" Hop shrugs, "Whatever." I toss him a tin of Cram. I take one as well. "Brothers of something. Damn, I'm kickin' myself for not remembering their name." Says hop, "Ah, well, it's not too important now." We chow down our Cram. After dinner, I take out our bedrolls. We lay down watching the stars, the heat of the fire cutting through the bitter Midwest cold. The sky glitters brightly as I slowly drift to sleep.

I awaken with a start, standing in the forest. The dim light of twilight illuminates my path as I run, panicked, through the woods. Dodging many trunks and branches and bushes, just running. Until I reach a log cabin in a clearing. There's a light in the window, and smoke billows from the chimney. Suddenly there's a gunshot, and I jolt up from my bedroll. The fire is close to dying, and in the far distance, I can hear gunshots. "Just another skirmish at the line." Says Hop quietly from behind me. I turn to him, "Geez, when are those groups never fighting each other?" Hop frowns, "When they're dead." With that, I slump back down into my sleeping bag, and stare once again at the sparkling stars, slipping into a fitful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Morning soon comes, the light from the sun shines strong through the bleak gray sky, reflecting brightly off the snow. Hop and I pack up our things and head into the forest. Our world, in an instant, shrinks down to the spaces between the tall trunks of the dark evergreens. The forest floor is covered in patches of snow that have fallen between the branches. The brush is thick, and all around wildlife can be heard rustling around in the bushes, "Hey Hop?" I ask, "Ya?" "What time is it?" I ask. He looks at his watch, "Six o' clock, in tha A.M." I nod, "Thanks, just checkin'." Slowly we weave our way between the trees, still heading east-south-east. The minutes melt together in the forest, the scenery is bleak, and the sounds of critters are everywhere around us, making it hard to concentrate on keeping an eye out. But we tough through for a while, walking silently. "Hop?" I ask, breaking the uneasy silence, "Ya Mal?" "Well, I was wonderin'... I don't know yer favorite type a' music, like your favorite band or singer." Hop smiles, "The Andrew Sisters, they were Stella's favorite... mine too, though." I smile, "Me I like the Ink Spots, lovely group dere, but a close second sure is them sisters." Hop nods, "Music is an incredible thing, over two hundred years later, we still listen to the same songs as the ones before us." I nod, "It is a powerful thing, ya. Must've been a... lot different listenin' to music before the world was laid ta waste?" Hop lets out a soft chuckle, "Oh ya. Dere was music, and radio shows, and telly shows." I perk up, "Ya, the telly! What was that like?" I ask. Hop looks to the distance in thought, "Ah, jeez, that's a tough one. Well... well it's like, like watchin' someone else's life, or story, but not through your eyes... It's like one a' those eyebots ya like, they watch on, but they don't interfere, they can't say nothin' or tell you nothin'... does that make sense?" Uhh... "Well, I suppose so, ya." Hop shrugs, "Gimmie some time, I'll think of a better explanation." I nod, "Ya, it sounds like a tough thing to convey, I suppose. I guess that's why I always asked about radio stuff... it's simpler, easier to comprehend for everyone." Hop nods, "Ya! That makes sense, why it conveys to everyone easily, I guess that's why it's been around so long." I nod, "Ya, something like that I bet."

After, I dunno, twenty minutes or so, we start to see a big frozen lake through the tree trunks. We then reach a clearing, and notice a few shacks on the surface. "Ya think all those are in use?" I ask, Hop shakes his head, "Na, the bombs fell so quickly, the fishers probably abandoned their shacks to check on family." I nod, A voice from behind us! "I use one." I twist around to see a man wearing a brightly colored elk skin cloak, he's one of the Chippewa. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle ya too fierce!" Says the man, "Oh jeez, ya sure did give us a fright!" I say. The man smiles, "Haha, so... what are you fellas up to?" Asks the man, "Well, we're headed over to Duluth." The man nods, "Gee, that's a ways away still, I guess I shouldn't bug you no more, ya?" I shake my head, "Na, you're not bein' a bother! Say, are ya all alone out here?" The man shakes his head, "Na, just grabbing something from the woods, some berries. My friends and me are fishin'" I nod, "Alrighty, well I guess we shouldn't keep _you_ too long then!" Says Hop. "Ok, see ya fellas!" We smile and wave as we walk on into the forest. "Hey, Hop?" I ask after a while. Hop turns to me, "Ya, Mal?" "Well, I was wondering, why are the Sioux not as nice?" Hop sighs, a sorrowful noise, "It starts way back, before the bombs fell, hell, before the first A-bomb was dropped! Out here, in the middle a' nowhere, at the time, there was two tribes. The two fought a never-ending war, much like today, over hunting grounds. We established relations with the ones in the north, the Chippewa, but the ones in the south, the Sioux, weren't so lucky. Well, time went by, and American settlers rolled in, and were met in hate by the Sioux, who had no fond memories of white men. Well, we took their land, and we mistreated them. We neglected them, threw them in an inhospitable corner, and they got very very mad, until eventually, they lashed out. There was a war... a massacre more like, and eventually they quieted down..." I just nod slowly, "Ah... I see." We again continue on in silence. The sun gets a bit higher in the sky as we reach a frozen dirt road leading south. Hop and I stand at the edge, "Ya think it goes to a hi-way?" Hop nods, "Oh ya, if it goes far enough south." I nod, "Should we try?" Hop just shrugs, "Why not, we don't got a deadline or nothin'." We start to walk down the narrow road, trees line both sides, nearly enclosing the entire thing. We trudge on, hugging our coats to keep in the warmth. I start to think... "That man we helped out back at Bemidji, was somethin'... I dunno, off about his voice?" Hop scratches his chin, "Hmm, I dunno. It's hard to remember." Hop takes another mentat, "He was talkin' real low, when he did speak." I nod, "Fair point dere." Hop nods. We come upon a small dirt offshoot, leading to a cabin. On a tree beside the drive, is a sign that says, "NO INJUNS ALLOWED," I eye the property, "No Indians? Not even Chippewas?" I ask, Hop nods, "They must be from outta state... No need ta bother." I feel resentment towards the cabin as we pass it by, "Well, I feel like that's just not right, keepin' a whole group out because ya just don't like them!" Hop sighs again, "Just don't bother, Mal. He's only one man, after all. Only one little cabin." I nod, "Ya... ya I guess so."

We eventually reach a road, and a big clearing, and across from it is just another line of thick trees. The road is very barren, and empty, and icy. "We turn... left, ya?" I ask Hop, he nods, "Ya. This here is US-Two." I nod, "This'll take us to Grand Rapids?" Hop nods, "Ya, but no further than that, from there it'd take us right through the Glowin' Forest." I nod, and we start walking to the side of the road, it's too icy to walk on top of it. For a while the road takes us through the forest, there's a buffer of dry, yellow, snow-covered grass between us and the treeline, making the space feel more open. "So, Hop?" Hop turns his head, "Ya?" He asks, "Well, I was thinkin', when we get to the station, after we repair it... will you be my co-host?" Hop Looks into the distance, "Oh ya, Mal. Of course! I dunno how good I'll be at it!" I smile, "Ah don't worry none, there's only three other DJ's in this wide wasteland to compare us too!" Hop smiles, "Ya, I guess so, huh." My face contorts in thought, "Come to think, how many DJs do ya reckon there are out dere?" Hop just shrugs, "Dunno. Only ever been to Ontario, up north. But a guess would be, maybe, twenty? Maybe... eighteen?" I nod, "Huh, seems like a fair guess." As we reach the opening to a very large, flat clearing, to our right we see an old junkyard. Around the perimeter is a large wall made of random junk, wood and tires and steel. "Hmm, wonder who lives dere?" I say. Hop just shrugs, "I dunno..." We spot a man atop the wall, looking at us. "Hello dere!" I shout and wave. The man gives a little wave back. I then hear his faint voice, but I can't make out what he says. I cup my hands around my mouth, "Pardon!?" I shout back, I only hear him say something about... heads? "Ahh, ok! Thanks much!" I shout. We continue walking, and I turn to Hop, who just shrugs. We walk until we reach the edge of the giant snowy clearing, we turn back to see the wall in the distance, but the man is not there, "Should we be worried?" I ask. Hop shakes his head, "Probably just shouting hello." He says. We shake it off and continue down the frigid road.


	4. Chapter 4

After a long stretch of quiet, we pass by another, smaller clearing, and on the far end, we spot a small white building, with a big sort of steeple atop the roof. At the tippy top of the steeple sits a dull white cross. We walk down the road, closer to the church. From the looks of it, abandoned, but around it are signs that it was visited after the war, a few bits of junk fence, and a sign saying "All Christians Welcome". I scratch my chin, "Say, isn't it a Sunday?" Hop nods, "Oh ya... ya, that's sure peculiar." He says. I shrug, "Maybe they packed up, headed further north, ya?" Hop nods, "Could well be." He says, I turn my head, "Well, best not dwell, we're a good bit away from civilization." Hop nods, and we continue on. The road leads us straight through the trees, the sound of the cool winter wind whistling through the shifty branches of the trees fills my ears. It's peaceful out here, today. After a short while, a few minutes after the church leaves our view, we come upon an abandoned Poseidon Energy petrol station to the left of the road. I turn to Hop, "Feelin' hungry?" I ask. Hop nods, "Ya." I nod my head towards the station, "Let's take a set in the store dere, ya?" Hop nods, and we walk on over to the door. Peeking inside, it looks entirely empty. I open the door, and overhead a bell rings. "Hello!" I say... no response. I turn to Hop, "No one home." I say, we walk over to the front counter and hop up on it, I take my bag off and set it down, "Ahh, much better. That thing became a lot heavier when we bought that fusion battery!" Hop smiles, "Ya, those things ain't light!" I dig through my bag and pull out two boxes of instamash, handing one to Hop. Outside, we hear the mechanical whirring sound. My eyes widen, and I hop off the counter and run back outside to see a mass of silver soaring through the sky. It flies to the northeast, and I just watch. I then head back inside, and take a seat next to Hop. We eat in silence, and afterward, we drink some water. "Hey, Mal." says Hop, I turn to him, "Ya?" He points to the back wall, and on the floor, I see a half painted sign that reads "Chippewa Forest Tradi" I scratch my short beard, "Hmm..." My gaze turns to the shelves, which are sparsely filled with post-war fruit and goodies. "Now, leavin' in the middle of paintin' a sign, _that's_ sure peculiar," I say. "Should we, take some stuff?" Asks Hop, I turn to him, "Well I don't think so, no! What if they come back and all their wares are gone?" Hop takes some more mentats, "Ya... I suppose." I sigh, and walk over to the food aisle. "Well... I suppose one tin a' Cram'll be ok." I say, taking one for the road. Hop nods, and slips a box of ammo back onto a shelf, I smile, "Ya slick bastard!" Hop shrugs, "Well, ya know, they _are_ gone!" I just scoff sarcastically, "Let's hit the road then, ya?" Hop nods, and we continue on down the road. I start to think... oh jeez, why _did_ the store owner leave in such a hurry? "Hey, Hop?" Hop turns to me, "Ya?" "Well... Why do ya think the store owner left in a hurry? And why was the church abandoned, too?" Hop just shrugs, "I dunno, Mal, it's a little worryin'... maybe the Sioux pushed up into this region real far?" I shrug, "I dunno, maybe..." We walk in an uneasy silence.

In a few minutes, we reach a small collection of buildings to either side of the road, one is a large brick building, to the left, and to the right are a few old grocery stores and the like. We head up further to a big intersection, and on a faded green sign above the road, written in chipped white paint is the name "Cass Lake" and below that is an arrow pointing to the right. Through the trees, I can make out a few houses. "Cass Lake... looks abandoned, too." I say, Hop looks at me, "Can we be certain?" He asks, I just shrug. "Maybe... maybe we can investigate, ya?" Hop shrugs, "Well, we aren't in that big of a rush... ya, let's check it out." I nod, and we take a right. We walk past three blocks of small houses, before we reach a sort of main street. To our right is a big log cabin-like building, and to the left, we can make out a few little shops and more houses. I point down the street to the left, "Looks like a good place to check, ya?" Hop shrugs, "So does that buildin' dere," He points to the big log building. I nod, "Okee, let's split on up then. I head to the marketplace, you check the big buildin' over dere." Hop nods, and with that, we split up. I walk down the street, the atmosphere is still ripe with tension, and it tightens with each step. It finally breaks when I see blood on the sidewalk, outside of a shop. Half a man lays cold in the street, a trail of entrails leads to a broken store window, "Ah, jeez..." I scan the street and spot three more bodies, who coulda done- At that moment, a growl pierces the air, chilling me to the bone, and shaking my brain to the very base level, I turn back to the shop window, and there staring back at me is the face of death itself. It's dark black horns draw attention to its cold red eyes, colder than the entirety of the northern wastes. Its teeth are bared, and the growl continuously darkens the atmosphere. My entire body goes numb, in a base human response, I run like the dickens. I keep running for my life as I hear a blood-curdling roar from behind. I'm Being Chased Down By A Deathclaw. I sprint right down the street, making it to the door of the big log building, which is slightly ajar. Without a thought, I burst in and slam it behind me, "HOOOOOP!" I shout very loudly, I run through a short hall into a main, two-story room, with a balcony overlooking the main sort've lobby place. All around are paintings and statues made by and for the Chippewa Indians. I look upstairs to see Hop, staring at me terrified. Next to him is a woman in a long colorful cloak, who looks terrified as well. Hop points to my right, and I spot a spiral staircase. Not halfway up, The main doors fly off their hinges. Through the exit, the Deathclaw scratches and growls as it runs into the main hall. I join with Hop and the stranger, and we waste not a second running for our lives down a narrow hall. We stop at a door and open it into an office, where we duck in and slam the door. Hop and I work right away, barricading the door with a few filing cabinets. We all lean against the wall, and slump to the ground, "Well... Jeez! A Deathclaw nearly ripped me in two!" I exclaim out of breath. Hop just nods, his dark eyes still wide with terror. We hear the Deathclaw scratch and bash and growl in the lobby as we cower in this office. "So... hello dere! I'm Malvin, and I'm sure you've met my friend, Hop, ya?" I extend my hand to the woman, she nods, "Oh ya, real nice fellow! Nice to meetcha, too!" I nod, "So, how'd ya end up here?" I ask. The woman's gaze falls to her feet, and her face fills with distraught, "Well, ya see, before the monsters showed up Cass Lake was a well enough place. We lived close to the line, ya, but this is a quieter section of it, so we decided to make use of it." I nod, "Ok, so, how'd the Deathclaws come around?" The woman just shrugs, "I dunno. No one does, I think. Jus' came outta nowhere, I assume ya saw just how sudden it was, ya." I rub my hands across my tired eyelids, "Oh, ya... jeez I'm sorry that happened to ya." The woman gives me a melancholy smile, "Thanks, Malvin. Oh, the names Diane." I nod, and smile back, "It's a pleasure, Diane." Hop cuts in, "Well, now we've gotta find a way outta this mess! I'm... I'm drawin' a blank here." I stare into the distance, "Hey, how many a' them showed up that day?" Diane rubs her chin in thought, "It's hard to remember, surprisingly. I think, only one? It was some freak thing, ya know?" I nod, "Ya, sorry again... So we can assume that it's just one, that means... if we can distract it good n' long enough, it'd be just the one we gotta slip past." Hop nods, "Ya, but we don't got a thing to distract it with!" I nod, "That's an issue, ya..." I slip my pack off and dig around, Hop and Diane watch on in interest. I see my firestarter kit, "Ah! We could smoke it out!" I say, Hop shakes his head, "Mal, that only works when you're _outside_ the place that's burnin'." I straighten up, "No, I mean like, lighting something on fire, and throwin' it down to the lobby. It'd run away, and we could take a back exit or somethin'!" Hop's face contorts in thought, "Huh... maybe. Let's think a bit more before settin' the place ablaze, ya?" I nod, and we all three set in quiet.


End file.
